Car-holder.



W. F. MEYERS.

GAR HOLDER.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 29,1911.

1,022,693, I Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

fi ZZZ my @MA/ I A? V j Y BY COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

WILLARD F. MEYERS, LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK.

CAR-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apia-9, 1912.

Application filed May 29, 1911. Serial No. 630,042.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLARD F. Whereas, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ar- Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to car holders for cars which it is desired to temporarily hold at a certain position and particularly those which it is necessary to hold successively at a plurality of positions to bring different parts of the car successively to a given location; such, for example, as a stone-carrying car or carriage which it is desirable to move forward step by step for the cutting off of the stone at different for other operations at successive locations on the stone; and one of of my invention is to hold such a car at any desired point throughout its length. Heretofore the usual practice has been to hold the car by chocks or wedges.placed under the wheels.

Objects of my invention are effectiveness, convenience, strength, adaptability, simplicity, and other objects and advantages which will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes improved means for cont-rolling the movement of a rectilinearly movable stop member, particularly a longitudinally movable elongated stop member, such as a friction bar controlled in its movements by a clamping device. Such friction bar is carried by the car in substantial parallelism with the car track, and opposed clamping jaws are positioned on the ground and are manually controllable to clamp the bar at any point along its length and thereby hold the car.

My invent-ion also includes several important features of construction and combi-.

nations of parts, as will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the car holder illustrated in the accompanying drawings and embodying my invention and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section on the line 11 of Fig. 2 as viewed from above and includes parts of a car and a track therefor. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing a portion of a car and the holding means therefor. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical secings,

places by a saw, or

the important uses tion on a plane indicated by the line 33 in Figs. 1 and 2 as viewed from the left.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with parts omitted and shows slightly modified securing means for the stationarily located parts of the holder.-

In the car holder illustrated in the drawa flat friction bar or friction strip 5 is mounted on and carried by the car longitudinally thereof, being shown as suspended below the car sill 6 by hangers 7, which are slightly flexible transversely of the car and track, but rigid in the longitudinal direction, and are rigidly secured to the sill 6 and carry the friction bar 5 at their lower ends, this bar being of a width to extend below the lower ends of the hangers 7, so as to provide unobstructed friction or holding surfaces. The holding bar 5 is of the same length as the car or conterminous therewith, one end only of the car and bar appearing in the drawings, the bar 5 terminating in similar relation to the other end of the car. The holding bar 5 is parallel to'the track for the car, such track being shown for one side of the car only and including a usual rail 8 laid upon a longitudinally extending sleeper 9, as is usual in tracks for this type of car.

The car, even when heavily loaded, may be readily moved by means of the lever and double ratchet mechanism mounted on one of the car axles, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This car-moving mechanism is of well known construction and is commonly employed for the purpose, but will be briefly described as means for moving the car, it being understood that, so far as the present invention is concerned, any suitable car-moving device could be employed.

Two ratchet wheels 10, having oppositely slanting teeth, are fixed in spaced relation on a reduced extension 11 from the car axle 12 mounted in a bearing 13 on the sill 6 and having fixed thereon the ground-wheel or usual flanged track-wheel 1 1. A hand lever 15 is loosely pivoted on the axle exten sion 11 between the ratchets 10, and carries oppositely arranged pivoted pawls 16 en gageable with the correspondingly oppositely toothed ratchet wheels 10. Either of the pawls 16 may be lifted out of engagement with its ratchet by means of usual small bell-cranks 17 pivoted on the free end of the hand lever 15 and connected with the respective pawls 16 by flexible connectors member to the car track.

18. The car will be moved in one direction or the other along the rail 8 according to which pawl is left in engagement with its ratchet wheel when the lever'15 is oscillated.

Stationarily located gripping means are provided for gripping the holding bar 5 to thereby securely hold the car at any position to which it may be moved. This gripping device will now be described.

A stationary jaw member 19 is rigidly held in stationary position, and this is shown as accomplished by securing this The stationary jaw member has a ribbed attaching leg 19 extending beneath the track rail 8, and I have shown two varieties of means of attachment which may be employed. l/Vhen the track sleeper 9 is discontinuous, with gaps between the ends of the sleeper timbers, as is often the case and as is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the attaching leg may be secured to the rail 8 by clamp bolts 20, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When the sleeper timber is continuous, it may be notched on top and immediately beneath the rail to receive the attaching leg, as shown in Fig. 1, and secured in place by lag screws 21 passing through holes in the top plate of the at taching leg 19 and screwed down into the sleeper timber 9. Two sets of attaching holes are provided in the top of the attaching leg, as shown in Fig. 1, so that it is adapted for either method of attachment, as

may be most convenient or may be required.

The stationary aw member 19 will be firmly and securely held in place on the track by either of these means of attachment.

The stationary jaw member 19 has a 40 (clamping jaw in position to engage the inher side of the holding bar 5, and below this jaw the member is provided with a rigid stem 22 shown (Fig. 3) as cast into the body of the jaw member and more securely held therein by usual spurs, as shown. This stem is of square cross-section in the part that is within the jaw member and for some distance outward therefrom, the squared portion terminating in a shoulder (Fig. 3) outward from which the stem is cylindrical. A movable jaw member 23 is slidably mounted on the squared portion of the stem and thus held against rotation, and has a clamp ing jaw opposed to the other clamping jaw and in position to engage the outer spring 24 surrounds the stem 22 bet-ween the jaw members 19 and 23, these members being recessed or offset at this point to pro vide room for the spring. This spring thrusts apart on the jaw members and is utilized to slide the movable aw member 23 outward on the stem 22 to open the clamping jaws. The outward movement of the movable jaw member 23 is limited by a cam lever 25 pivotally and slidably mounted on the cylindrical part of the stem 22 immediately outward from the shoulder of the stem which constitutes an abutment positively limiting the inward movement of the cam lever 25. The outward sliding of the cam lever is controlled by a coiled thrust spring 26, which surrounds the stem 22 between the cam' lever 25 and an abutment washer 27 held in place by a cotter pin 28, the latter spring 26 being of much greater strength than the other thrust spring 24:.

The outer face of the movable jaw member and the adjacent or inner face of the cam lever are provided with cooperative in terengaging cams, the face of the jaw member carrying diametrally arranged cam projections or sloping radial ribs 29, which fit into complementary cam recesses or radial grooves 30 in the face of the lever 25 when the lever is at the middle or horizontal position, as is shown in the drawings. The lever 25 has oppositely projecting arms, which terminate in treadles 31. When either of the treadles 31 is pressed, the cooperating cams will produce separation of the cam lever 25 and the movable jaw member 23, and because-of the fact that the outer spring 26 is much stronger than the j aw-separating spring 24:, the movable jaw member 23 will be moved toward the stationary jaw member 19 so that the opposed clamping jaws will grip the holding bar 5 between them, the flexible hangers 7 slightly yielding to bring the holding bar 5 into firm engagement with the stationary jaw. It is to be noted that the gripping action of the clamping jaws is frictional and also that it is yielding, being dependent upon the excess of strength of the stronger spring 26 over the weaker spring 24; This construction provides automatic takeup for wear and also permits the car, while the holding bar 5 is gripped by the clamping jaws, to be slightly moved to secure a fine adjustment, merely by tapping against the moving lever l5 or against the car itself. As a further provision for taking up wear, or for adjusting the stronger spring 26, additional washers similar to the washer 27 may be placed back of the cotterpin 28. The foot may be removed from the depressed treadle 31 and the locking or carholding position of the clamping jaws will be maintained, due to the fact that the cam ridge 29 is now in engagement with asmooth, plane surface at the inner side of the cam lever 25 adjacent to the cam recess. To release the clamp, the cam lever is returned to the middle position shown, and this may be readily accomplished by depressingthe elevated treadle 31. The movable jaw member 23 will then be relieved of the pressure of the stronger spring 26, whose thrust will then be received by the shoulder on the stem 22 just inward of the cam lever 25, and the weaker spring 24, being free to act,

will move the movable jaw member 23 away from the stationary jaw member 19, thus separating the clamping jaws and releasing the pressure on the holding bar 5. The car can then be freely moved along for the next stage of work or further operation to be performed upon the material carried by the car and then again locked in position, and so on successively for the entire length of the car.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction illustrated in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A car holder comprising a longitudinally movable friction bar, opposed clamping jaws one of which is movable to and from the other and between which the friction bar moves, and a lever movable in either direction from a middle position to move the movable aw to clamping position.

2. A car holder comprising a longitudinally movable friction bar, opposed clamping jaws at opposite sides of the bar, yieldable means for pressing the jaws apart, stronger yieldable means for pressing the jaws together and strong enough to overcome the other yieldable means, and means for releasing the pressure of the stronger yieldable means to thereby permit the other yieldable means to separate the jaws.

3. A car holder comprising a longitudinally movable friction bar, opposed clamping jaws at opposite sides of the friction bar, a spring for separating the jaws, a stronger spring for pressing the jaws together, and means which in one position permit only the weaker spring to act to hold the jaws apart and which in another position permit both springs toact so that the stronger spring overcomes the weaker and presses the jaws into frictional relation with the friction bar.

4. A car holder comprising a longitudinally movable friction bar, a stationary aw member at one side of the friction bar, a combined guide stem and support projecting from the stationary jaw member, a movable jaw member at the other side of the friction bar and slidable and non-rotatively mounted on the guide stem, a coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem between the jaw memjnhersmand-pushing such members apart, a

lever rotatably mounted on the stem, the adjacent sides of the lever and of the slidable jaw member having interengaging cam faces, and means for resist-ing outward movement of the lever on the stem, whereby the rotation of the lever will slide the movable jaw member along the stem and press the friction bar between the jaws.

5. A car holder comprising a longitudinally movable friction bar, a stationary jaw .of both springs so that the stronger member at one side of the friction bar, a combined support and guide stem project ing from the stationary jaw member, a movable jaw member at the other side of the friction bar and slidably and non-rotatively mounted on the guide stem, a coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem between the jaw members and thrusting against these members to separate them, a lever slidably and rotatively mounted on the stem outward from the slidable jaw member, the stem having a shoulder limiting the movement of the lever toward the jaw members, the adjacent sides of the lever and of the slidable jaw member having interengaging cam faces, and astronger coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem outward from and pressing against the lever, so that when the lever is rotated to engage the cam faces the stronger thrust spring will overcome the weaker and the jaws will be thereby pressed into yielding frictional engagement with the friction bar.

6. A. car holder comprising, in combination with a car and a track therefor, a friction bar carried by the car and extending substantially parallel to the track, a stationary jaw member rigidly supported on the track and having a clamping jaw at one side of the friction bar, a supporting and guiding stem projecting from the stationary jaw member, a movable jaw member slidably and non-rotatively mounted on the stem and having a clamping aw at the other side of the friction bar from the stationary jaw, a coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem between the jaw members and thrusting against these members to separate the jaws, an actuating lever slidably and rotatively mounted on the stem outward from the slidable jaw member, the adjacent sides of this lever and of the slidable jaw member having interengaging cam faces, and a coiled thrust spring stronger than the first surrounding the stem outward from the lever and pressing against the outer side of the lever, the stem having thereon a stop shoulder limiting the inward movement of the lever, whereby in one position of the cam lever the slidable jaw member is subjected alone to the separating action of the weaker spring and in another position of this lever such jaw is subjected to the opposing acting m spring will overcome the weaker and yieldingly close the jaws against the friction bar.

7. A car holder comprising, in combination with a car and a track therefor, a friction bar carried by the car substantially parallel with the track and being substantially conterminous with the car, supports flexible transversely of the track supporting the bar from the car, a stationary jaw member rigidly supported from the track and having a clamplng aw at the inner side of the friction bar, a supporting and guiding stem rigidly projecting from the outer side of the stationary jaw member, a movable jaw member slidably and nonrotatively mounted on the stem and having a clamping jaw at the outer side of the bar, a coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem between the jaw members and thrusting against these members to slide the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw, a double-ended treadle lever pivotally and slidably mounted at its middle on the stem outward from the slidable jaw member, this lever and the slidable jaw member being provided with cooperative cam faces, one of these faces having diametral cam recesses and the other having corresponding diametral cam projections receivable into the cam recesses at the middle position of the lever, an abutment on the stem spaced outwardly from the lever, and a coiled thrust spring stronger than the first surrounding the stem between the lever and the abutment and pressing the lever toward the slidable jaw member, the stem having thereon a stop shoulder limiting the inward movement of the lever.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLARD F. MEYERS. Witnesses:

WM. AsHLnY KELLY, BERNARD CowEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

